Dong Jie

Dong Jie went to Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 10. When she was 15 years old, she was chosen by the professional dance group in Guangzhou and started her career as a professional dancer.

Wanting to cast his net wide for the role of Wu Ying, Zhang Yimou sent out an open casting call through the internet. Over 70,000 young women responded. When the director asked Dong Jie back for a second audition, he said that she was not thin enough for the waifish part. Determined, the young woman shed some pounds and was ultimately given the role by the famous director, following in the paths of other notable actresses like Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, even though she had never appeared in a film before.

At a press conference in December of 2000 announcing her selection, Dong Jie said it was the happiest moment in her life when she found out she had been selected. For her performance in the film, she was nominated for Mainland China's Floral Awards as Best Actress (last year's was Zhang Ziyi).

Dong Jie is currently appearing in a Chinese TV series called White Collar Condominium, opposite Ahn Jae Wook, a film star and singer from Korea.